In June, Money underwent a heart valve procedure unrelated to his cancer, AXS said. According to Rolling Stone magazine, he canceled his tour over the summer so he could recover from the surgery.

Money was born in March 1949 in Brooklyn, New York. Before becoming a musician, he followed in the footsteps of his father and became an officer with the New York Police Department for two years.

After leaving law enforcement, he moved to Northern California, honing his craft and playing in local clubs. He changed his name to “Money” in 1976 and his career took off after met famed promoter Bill Graham.

Money’s website quoted Graham as saying: “Eddie Money has it all…not only can he sing, write and play, but he is a natural performer.”

His breakout 1986 song "Take Me Home Tonight," was nominated that year for a Grammy for best rock vocal by a male performer. He lost to Robert Palmer for his hit "Addicted To Love."

Younger music fans might know Money from a 2012 ad for Geico, the auto insurance company. In the spot, the rocker is running a travel agency and musically telling customers that he'll book "two tickets to paradise."

Radio personality Lou Brutus penned a touching message to Money on Twitter following the news of his death.

"I really want to impress upon you what an awesome guy Eddie Money was," he tweeted. "He was as appreciative of his fans as any artist I've ever seen. Just a regular, unpretentious fellow who treated everyone wonderfully. Always delightful to work with, too. One of the good ones."

Others who knew Money and loved his music also expressed their condolences.

#EddieMoney Such a sweetheart. Saw him in January at our benefit for the Malibu fires/Borderline shooting victims and hadn’t seen him in years. He gave me a big hug and immediately, while still hugging me, whispered a dirty joke in my ear. “So this guy’s wife...” RIP, pal. ❤️💔

The rocker's publicist Cindy Ronzoni called him a "down to earth man."

"Had the pleasure of being the publicist for @ImEddieMoney and family for the last couple of years - a time I will never forget," she wrote in a tweet, adding: "He had a big heart, great voice and loved to tell jokes."